1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to animal restraint apparatus, and more particularly, to such restraint apparatus comprising a leash or the like for use in restraining domestic animals.
2. Prior Art
Devices such as dog leashes and the like for use by humans to restrain animals have been widely available for some time and have found general acceptance. However, such apparatus often suffer from several undesirable features.
First, in some applications, particularly when rather large animals are being restrained, it is imperative to provide for an automatic quick-release feature, and even a backup release feature, whereby the leash may rapidly be released from the human as, for example, when the animal might lunge or otherwise pull its master into a dangerous environment, such as the path of an oncoming automobile. Other prior art animal restraint devices have been deficient in providing such a feature while at the same time, being safe, of relatively simple and economical construction, and yet effective.
Yet another serious problem with previous attempts to provide suitable animal restraint apparatus relates to the behavioral characteristics of animals themselves. It is often difficult to prevent restrained animals from making frequent turns and, accordingly, restraint devices of the prior art suffered notoriously from the defect of becoming entangled, snarled, and twisted due to activities of the animal.
Still further, it was long felt desirable to keep a restrained animal relatively close to its master and, yet, to provide a limited amount of freedom of movement. However, these two objectives were often found to be contradictory, whereby either leashes were designed which were too short, thus restricting movement, or too long, thereby resulting in the aforementioned problems with snarling of the restraint, movement of the animal into dangerous situations, and the like.
There was, accordingly, also a need for a restraint device which could gradually communicate to the animal the degree to which it was being permitted additional freedom of movement.
Moreover, many animals, when attempting to travel beyond the full extension of the restraint device too rapidly often would become seriously injured by being choked or having their necks snapped backwards. Thus, a means was further desired for preventing such occurrences while simultaneously preventing the animal from straying too far.